"Barely a month into the Trump presidency, the unusually elaborate lifestyle of America’s new first family is straining the Secret Service and security officials, stirring financial and logistical concerns in several local communities, and costing far beyond what has been typical for past presidents — a price tag that, based on past assessments of presidential travel and security costs, could balloon into the hundreds of millions of dollars over the course of a four-year term." https://www.washingtonpost.com/busi...cee7ce475fc_story.html?utm_term=.2795fd1ce3a8
I know there is some sarcasm or humor to your statement, but why would we want to gold plate AF1? If you want to get rid of the EPA to save tax dollars and benefit the citizens of this country and you have arguments behind that, that's one thing. But if you want to get rid of the EPA so that our tax dollars can go towards gilding the soft ego of our embattled president, then... um... I'm just not prepared to have that conversation... $183 million/year just to guard Trump Tower: "In New York, the city is paying $500,000 a day to guard Trump Tower, according to police officials’ estimates, an amount that could reach $183 million a year." This is just beyond the pale, IMO.
I would rather keep the EPA. I am just preempting arguments for why it's OK to spend a billion for this lavish lifestyle.
So our tax dollars are trickling down onto Mar-a-Lago? Maybe he should weigh whether it's cheaper to mobilize the Nat Guard to assist
Wow, 500k per day to guard Trump tower. 10M for the 3 trips to Trump's Mar-a-Lago. 183m per year estimated? I know there should be some leeway, but wow, that's excessive spending. How does this compare to past President?
Article says Obama cost less than $100m for 8 years. And, conservatives were just killing him for costing so much.
If that and the estimate are accurate... 100M for Obama vs 1.5B for 8 years of Trump. I guess I should just laugh.
The 183 is just for Trump Tower,,,365 days time 1/2 million per. Although I can't imagine that daily rate is fixed and can't come down significantly from efficiencies over time. And that's the city bill? I don't get it. Regardless, they say that's for the First Lady. Well, she needs to be in the freaking White House and can't have her own offfice and house for crying out loud. Sure she needs to travel without the Pres at times for 1st Lady duties sometimes. But what does this even mean? Meanwhile, New York police will keep watch outside Trump Tower in Manhattan, the chosen home of first lady Melania Trump and son Barron
Fed reimburse the city for the expense. 1st lady and son don't want to live in the WH. I'm sure the secret service guarding them live at the Trump Tower - nice gigs. Someone should do a full estimate. If Trump takes 2 trips to Mar-a-lago per month, at 3.3M each, that's 80M per year. We could be talking about expenses over $2 Billion for 8 years of Trump. Nuts.
Yeah, I get that. But what does it even mean. You don't have a say, do you? I guess I missed discussion of this earlier. How can a president explain his wife not wanting to live with him in the WH.
Ploy for his next campaign, when he runs on the premise that women aren't fit to be in the WH and y'all vote for him.
Why wouldn't she have a say? Some man is elected president and now, because he's your husband, you're forced to move to move into a new house in a new city? The Secret Service could say, "we can't protect you in New York" but (1) their boss is the President, and (2) if you elect to leave the President's wife vulnerable for any reason, you make the President and therefore the country vulnerable. Personally, I'm fine with the Melania security expense, and I think it's reasonable to stay for the remainder of the school year. After that, I can understand her not wanting to have sex with Trump, but she can't keep hiding in New York forever.
What makes you think I was talking about her say or not? I meant both of them. I didn't know secret service would allow First Family to have two separately occupied full time residencies or anyone would do that for political reasons. My ignorance. But I wasn't talking about her choice. Anyhoot, ok he's in school, fine, I suppose. I just think every other Prez and 1st Lady would move him into the more accommodating, secure and equally prestigious private school featured in Homeland. Apparently a lot of parents are freaked out the first son is still there. The First Family with a kid in the WH is a positive image. Plus, aside from the royal family-sequel sociopolitical currency it carries, I'd just want my kid and wife close by and living with me. Guess they are unique for not actually believing or even wanting to Win the presidency. So were taken by surprise and not able to warn their son. Sry didn't mean to sidetrack, didn't know why they won't leave NYC and trying to get my head around that expense too having a First Lady not living in the WH.
I agree, any other president would probably move his family to the closer and more secure DC residence. Aside from having to install security at Trump Tower, Secret Service probably had to clamp down on the school too. And the optics would be better. Barron would probably do a lot to humanize Trump and maybe the media would have a harder time bullying him. But, this is Trump and not some regular president.
I agree with you and am equally perplexed. My real issue issue is Mar-a-Lago. It's an island with tons of open coastline. It was built as a resort... not a place meant to keep the most powerful person in the world secure (Like Camp David). Since it's such a strategic nightmare (security-wise), the best way to keep the president safe is to allocate a TON of security personnel to that island when he's there (in addition to the local police force). Additionally, the coast guard is having to sweep the coastline while he's there... that **** ain't cheap (and wouldn't be happening if he were at Camp David). "Trump’s three Mar-a-Lago trips since the inauguration have probably cost the federal treasury about $10 million, based on figures used in an October government report analyzing White House travel, including money for Coast Guard units to patrol the exposed shoreline and other military, security and staffing expenses associated with moving the apparatus of the presidency. Palm Beach County officials plan to ask Washington to reimburse tens of thousands of dollars a day in expenses for deputies handling added security and traffic issues around the cramped Florida island whenever Trump is in town. In advance of Trump’s Super Bowl weekend trip to Mar-a-Lago, the Secret Service paid for a bevy of security costs, including more than $12,000 for tents, portable toilets, light towers and golf carts, purchase orders show. The bills have racked up outside the club, too. Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said Trump’s 25 days in the county since the election have cost local taxpayers about $60,000 a day in overtime police payments. Local officials said the U.S. Coast Guard has run round-the-clock shoreline patrols alongside Mar-a-Lago when the president is in town. A Coast Guard spokesman declined to share costs or specifics, citing security concerns." After all that, I found this part just... well, for lack of a better word... crappy... icing on the cake. This guys ran as a "man of the people." SMH: The Town of Palm Beach recently implemented a “presidential visit seasonal traffic mitigation plan” in hopes of stemming the island’s worsening traffic woes. Running every weekend until May, the plan includes a town order demanding sanitation and public-works crews leave the island every Friday by 3 p.m. Sorry for the copy/paste fest...
Fake news, Trump only visited Mar a lago one time, the other two times was a hoax by the corrupt media. FAKE!
That's a lot of people who had to miss a great Super Bowl because they were too busy watching out for assassins.
